DISCOVERIES

HealthDay NewsCHICAGO TRIBUNE

Tattoo removal more popular with women

Women are much more likely than men to decide to get their tattoos removed, new research reveals. Texas Tech University researchers surveyed 196 patients who sought to remove their tattoos at four clinics, and 69 percent were women. The study authors noted that women appear to face more social stigma and negative comments as a result of having a tattoo.

New research offers more evidence that a new AIDS drug brings significant benefits to patients for whom other treatments have failed. Raltegravir (Isentress) almost doubles the likelihood that patients will beat back the AIDS virus despite being immune to other medications, according to a study in the July 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Raltegravir is part of a new class of AIDS drugs, meaning the virus hasn't encountered it before and hasn't developed a resistance to it, researchers said.

Study links soy and infertility in males

Eating half a serving of soy food a day lowers sperm concentrations and may play a role in male infertility, particularly in obese men, a Harvard University study found. Researchers speculated that soy increases estrogen activity, which may have a negative effect on sperm production and interfere with other hormonal signals. They said overweight men produce more estrogen than thinner men, and soy may increase those estrogen levels even further.

Procedure may help in treating lazy eye

Correcting lazy eye, or amblyopia, in adults is supposed to be impossible, but Canadian researchers report they have been able to do that -- at least partially and temporarily -- by beaming magnetic pulses into the brain. Transcranial magnetic stimulation has been effective in stroke rehabilitation and is being tested against depression. When it was tried on nine adults with amblyopia, vision in the weaker eye improved for at least 20 minutes.